The following opinion article advocates revision to contemporary urban form. Currently, there are many theories related to the realization of sustainable living. For urban architecture to be successful it must acknowledge that there are numerous ways to respond to existing context. Every population requires its own unique solution. My proposal that compact urban architecture may encourage contentment considers a myriad of design considerations: size, mix of uses, block structure, social conditions, economic well-being, and ecology.
Historically, zoning, land use, and parcel price have increased travel distance to work, shopping, and recreation. It seems “cheaper” to develop outside the urban core, but the resulting physical form costs us economically, socially, and environmentally. We are in need of improved community design which addresses size, shape, density, housing type, block layout, green space distribution, and sustainable growth options.
An essential touchstone in every architectural education is exploration of Vitruvius’ concepts for a successful building of “firmness, commodity, and delight”. Simply defined firmness encompasses a building’s ability to last over time, both structurally and in conciseness as cultural or community icon. Usefulness is the basic translation of commodity. Often achieved by constructing appropriate proportions, commodity relates function and fit. Delight, is a harder concept to define. Sometimes it is simply referred to as beauty. Beauty is also hard to define, so I will omit the numerous implications involved with defining it and simply propose the idea that beauty evokes pleasure.
Wikipedia , another fundamental but not encouraged part of an architectural education, defines pleasure as “the broad class of mental states that humans and other animals experience as positive, enjoyable, or otherwise to be sought out. It thus includes more specific mental states such as happiness, entertainment, enjoyment, ecstasy, and euphoria”. If pleasure is intrinsic in beauty, then according to Vitruvius, an architect should provide spaces that harvest joy.
Unfortunately in these times, it seems Americans are less happy. According to researcher Stefano Bartolini of the University of Siena, Italy, “Americans are less happy today than they were 30 years ago thanks to longer working hours and deterioration in the quality of their relationships with friends and neighbors”. The study was presented at the university’s “policies for happiness” conference.
Inverse to the decrease in American happiness, the average new single family home size has amplified 42% over the last 20 years. As reported by NAHB (National Association of Homebuilders), the median house in 1978 was 1,650 sq.ft. In 2007 the average home size expanded to 2,335sq.ft.
Can a larger home inhibit happiness?
We work harder and longer to pay for our larger homes and the “stuff” that goes in them. We lose time we could be spending with our family, friends, or on leisure activities. We are isolated from social networks and prevented from relaxing. John Stilgoe, a professor of landscape history at Harvard University believes, "The big house represents the atomizing of the American family," he says. "Each person not only has his or her own television -- each person has his or her own bathroom. Some of these houses are literally designed with three playrooms for two children. This way, the family members rarely have to interact. And the notion of compromise is simply out one of the very many windows these houses sport."
Void of delight, the home is no longer a happy place. It is my conviction we can reinstate happiness in the trinity of successful buildings by returning the home its original glory; A “small” yet self expressive place to live, in a walkable neighborhood, alive with social events, local goods, and fresh foods. With a reasonable footprint and lot size we will not have to spend most of our time working to pay the bills and we can feel good about a reduced impact on the natural world. These homes can foster family interaction and more chance encounters with neighbors . We should be living outside our homes; creating a sense of place by shaping our community with daily exchanges.
